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A Not Incredibly Awful Article Which Mentions EMC2 & Others

Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 11:32 am
by rjaypeters
Mostly about NIF, though...

"Fusion Experiments Inch Closer To Break-Even Goal"

http://news.yahoo.com/fusion-experiment ... 59247.html

Re: A Not Incredibly Awful Article Which Mentions EMC2 & Oth

Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 7:11 am
by mvanwink5
From the article:
Some smaller companies are also engaged in fusion power research — one called EMC2 has received funding from the U.S. Navy for its research, though it hasn't published the results in peer-reviewed journals. Others such as Tri-Alpha Energy, General Fusion and Lawrenceville Plasma Physics have also run various experiments, though no company has built anything like a working plant or achieved self-sustaining reactions. All of the companies focus on fusion reactions that don't generate neutrons.
Very shallow and wrong on Polywell and General Fusion. Also failed to mention that General Fusion's schedule is for proving "net" this year, unlike the article spending all of its coverage on a device that will never be practical, if for no other reason than the target is too expensive as compared to the power derived from it's laser induced implosion.

What is it with these journalists? Can't they get anything right? Might as well be a department of the government (call it the Department of Truth}, then they could be shut down by cutting their budget.

Re: A Not Incredibly Awful Article Which Mentions EMC2 & Oth

Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 1:37 am
by D Tibbets
Self sustaining reactions? Sounds like the author is stuck on the ignition requirements for Tokamaks and laser fusion. I'm not certain about DPF, FRC, of General fusion- if ignition is a requirement, but it certainly is not required for the Polywell. I would guess that the DPF and General Fusion approach depend much on inertial confinement, but as they are pulsed machines I don't know if the brief confinement is assisted by significant ignition heating, it is in laser confinement.

Dan Tibbets

Re: A Not Incredibly Awful Article Which Mentions EMC2 & Oth

Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 3:05 am
by mvanwink5
On the other hand, he did manage to be dimly aware that there were efforts besides the two large cash Gov't sponsored boondoggles.

Re: A Not Incredibly Awful Article Which Mentions EMC2 & Oth

Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 1:00 pm
by zapkitty
D Tibbets wrote:... I'm not certain about DPF, FRC, of General fusion- if ignition is a requirement,
Eric Lerner of LPP posted this over at FFS:
LPP too is seeking ignition. That would occur in a pB11 plasmoid if the fusion power produced exceed x-ray losses, as the plasmoid heats up from not only the beam heating but also the retained fusion energy in the trapped helium nuclei produced by fusion.
edit: fixed a typo - "as" for "os"

Re: A Not Incredibly Awful Article Which Mentions EMC2 & Oth

Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 12:08 am
by asdfuogh
Is General Fusion still seeking to prove net gain this year? I remember them mentioning stability issues in their spheromak balls..